Aston Villa’s captain will be under scrutiny like never before as new boss Remi Garde looks down on his new charges at Tottenham.

The Frenchman will make naming his skipper at Villa one of his top priorities as he sets about trying to jettison the club from the bottom of the table.

Garde has one cast-iron first season objective from Villa owner Randy Lerner – and that’s to get his club safe.

Relegation is something Lerner can’t contemplate stomaching either emotionally or financially and any vision for the future hinges on Villa safeguarding their top flight status.

And while Garde will move quickly to get his preferred back room staff around him, he will think long and hard about who will be his leader on the pitch.

When he became Arsene Wenger’s first signing at Arsenal back in 1996, he was the man who could frequently be seen having one-on-one chats with after training.

He was the link between Wenger and his new team. If Wenger was The Professor, then Garde was the willing and respected prize student.

It’s with that background that the 49-year-old will attach massive importance to who will wear the armband for what has now become a 28-game battle for survival.

The former Lyon boss won’t choose his skipper lightly and will no doubt be studying the events during and immediately after Villa’s home defeat to Swansea which now sees Richards facing a three-match ban.

The former Manchester City man faces a possible three-match ban after deciding not to contest misconduct charge for the tunnel fracas that followed the game.

Garde’s view on what he looks for from a skipper is interesting – keeper Brad Guzan needn’t worry about getting a tap on the shoulder.

Garde said: “I don’t decide the captain by flicking a coin. The objective is to find the player best at uniting the squad – the man who represents something for the others.

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“Captaincy is not an individual award. We play a team sport. A captain has responsibilities and duties. I’m a coach who doesn’t think giving the armband to the goalkeeper is necessarily a good thing.”

Garde himself was Lyon’s captain at 23 and was made skipper by Wenger who he rates: “The best coach I have ever worked with.”

He had an unspectacular but dependable playing career with The Gunners which took in just 43 appearances.

A quiet, thoughtful type, he was seen as the link between Wenger and his new team – a kind of ambassador.

The man he chooses will be expected to fulfil a similar role. Garde hasn’t got time to mess about getting his Villa revolution under way.

He attaches massive importance to those first few key decisions and doesn’t entertain the idea of getting any of them wrong.